Intense Crime Solving With Numb3rs (A Guest Blogger Post)

Guest written by our friend Sergio Chaney

There are many different free shows that I love to watch on demand. None of them are quite as entertaining for me as the show called Numb3rs. This show is basically about a team that investigates very serious crimes, and they do it through the use of a special advantage. This advantage also happens to be one of my favorite characters in the show as well. This character is what is known as a Universalist mathematician, and he uses very complex equations to allow for the capture of some of the trickiest criminals.

I really like this show because I am into crime solving, and I also enjoy the uniqueness this show provides in the plot of every episode. The types of equations and the way the criminals are caught in this show really get me excited and always keep me on the edge of my seat. I love being able to watch free on demand content. This content is what allows me to really form a bond with the characters I am watching on the television. I really like all the shows available that deal with solving crime, but my favorite show that is available on demand is Numb3rs. All of the free on demand shows my family and I watch are viewed using satellite TV, that I got after seeing these direct.tv.

Which Angry Bird are You?

This one is for hubby and his old angry birds addiction ;)

You Are the White Bird

You are lovable, endearing, and affectionate. People gravitate toward your positive spirit. You are warm-hearted, witty, and even irreverent. You have an outrageous sense of humor that gets people laughing. You are very liable and charming. People simply enjoy being around you. You are an amazing friend. You are always there for the people you care about.

What Angry Bird Are You?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

10 Random Things for Friday

1. Visited the midwife again today. She said last week's ultrasound shows that my placenta is in front of the baby. Which means the amount of movement I'm feeling is probably less than there actually is. So I think I'm having a gymnast :)
2. I tried vacuuming our master suite after Maggie went to bed, but something that loud in a new house (to us) was too spooky for me. Maybe I'll do it after hubby gets home, or tomorrow when the sun is shining.
3. Crap. I thought the grandfather clock would reset its chimes if I turned it off and turned it back on, but it just chimed like five times for 10:00 PM. Whoops. Guess I'll need to read the directions. Add that to my to-do list for tomorrow.
4. I'm really looking forward to making city chicken for lunch or dinner tomorrow. With asparagus and rice. I was going to make it tonight, but my schedule went from bad to worse all day long...
5. I think I may finally hear hubby with the truck getting back here for the night. Which means I need to think of five more random things quickly so I can go help him. :)
6. Like the fact that I eliminated two more boxes from the master bedroom (okay, one just had to go into the closet, but it's off the floor, anyway..).
7. And that I have to do a one-hour glucose tolerance test next month at the midwife :(. (I never did this when I was pregnant with Maggie.)
8. Paying bills isn't much fun when there are two houses worth of expenses :(
9. Maggie was totally freaking out about a fly in the family room tonight. She said he opened the door and came in, and now I needed to catch him. Spiders I can do with the vacuum cleaner. Live flies? Not so much. Note to self: Get a fly swatter for the new house.
10. Yup - it's him! See ya!
    

Weekend in Review

Wow! This time the weekend is just wrapping up on Tuesday. That's certainly got its pros and cons. Staying active usually keeps me from getting too melancholy, especially while I'm just getting used to living further from my friends, but this baby-making is hard work at the same time - I'm tired!

On Friday night, hubby had to work late, so just Maggie and I went to karate class. Afterward, I wanted to go out and enjoy a sit down dinner. So when I asked what she wanted for dinner, and she said McDonalds, I suggested we go somewhere, "Where we sit down and the waitress brings us our food." Maggie changed her restaurant of choice to Red Robin. After a nice meal and (of course) a balloon, we headed home for some rest.

Saturday Maggie and I got out of the house really early so hubby could do some work on the hardwood floors. The original plan was to put another coat of polyurethane down and preggo me couldn't be around the smell, so the girls headed to Meijer, and washed the car, and got drinks at 7-11 before picking daddy/hubby up again at 11AM to really start the day.
Once the whole family was together, we headed to Mimi and Papas house, where I dreaded (but accomplished) bra shopping with Mimi, and then we all headed to a memorial service for Gigi, who passed away in February. While it was supposed to be a generally sad occasion, it was really nice to catch up with family we don't necessarily see very often. A few families planned to meet up again on Monday for the funeral/burial at the cemetery a few hours north. It doesn't sound like anything out of Funeral Planning Today, but it worked for us.

On Sunday we headed to a three-year-old friend's birthday party. Talk about extremes - our day to day conversation went from Medicare Supplement plans to potty training! The party was at a play place about 20 minutes from us. I was happy to check it out, and we had a good time, so we may consider being visitors there again.
After the party on Sunday we headed to a BBQ with one of hubby's co-workers and some of his friends and family. The co-worker's mom was quite entertained by Maggie, and I enjoyed a few minutes of not chasing her myself!

Monday we headed up north for Gigi's burial. We got super-lucky with the weather, and a torrential downpour struck...just minutes after we left the cemetery! Maggie and I went home with Mimi and Papa from there, so hubby could finally have us out of the way so he could finish the polyurethane.

Today hubby made the trek to Mimi and Papa's house to bring us back home just after lunch time. What a long weekend!!
Next weekend will be three-days for most people - what are your big plans?

10 Random Things for Friday

1. It's finally a nice-looking day out!! Maggie and I are going to go check out the birds' nests under the deck. There was quite a racket coming from there yesterday evening, so I think there will be eggs!
2. I'm having another artichoke this morning - YAY!!
3. I'm expecting a print order to arrive. If they updated my shipping address like I requested, it should be here today. If not, it'll probably be in Westland today and forwarding to the new house soon...
4. There's a little bit of taco meat left from dinner last night that I can use to have nachos for lunch - YAY again :D
5. Have I mentioned that the view out my office window is awesome? It is.
6. We have two choices for lunch: The ham sandwich you asked for (even though it is bologna, Maggie calls it ham) or nothing.
   
7. When will summer get here and STAY?!?
8. I need to get back on the phone this afternoon and book more shows/sell more chocolate!
9. We have a busy weekend! I want to start it off with a bath for Maggie tomorrow. This will be an ambitious plan, as hubby wants us out of the house so he can do the floors again ASAP.
10. Well, I've got some explaining to do. Maggie is now insistent that Gigi's cat died. Gigi with a cat? Huh?
    

Decorating

We wandered around a store today after getting ice cream (because Maggie wanted to spend the afternoon, and I quote: "Going into stores and looking at things.") and looked at stuff for the new house. Besides a nifty pot lid holder to go inside a cupboard door (I'm not making this up - I saw one on the internet), most of what we look at now is sort of decorate-y. We still want window dressings for most of the downstairs windows, and hubby's mind is sort of set on blinds, but we'll see.

I want to get some poster printing or artwork for the bathrooms. Sounds goofy, I know, but we have plenty of pictures for most of the walls, but nothing really appropriate for the kids' bathroom or the downstairs powder room. I don't want pictures of people I know - ew! I told hubby I'd like to keep an eye on the craft fairs that will be at the summer festivals coming up soon, and I'll also browse Etsy. I'm sure the right thing will come to us!

Zombie Awareness Month

Yes, I know I hinted at it in my zombie quiz post, but I did a bit more looking around and found through the Zombie Research Society page that May is actually Zombie Awareness Month. First I have to share this wonderful haiku by Zombierama that I first discovered through the site:

Zombie Haiku

just a little bite

my single-minded purpose

brains, brains, brains, brains, brains

A few interesting things when poking around their site to learn more about Zombie Awareness Month:

• A membership to the ZRS (Zombie Research Society) includes a t-shirt, but they don't have maternity sizes :(
• The store for merchandise is no longer shipping until after June 1, since the rest of the department is on vacation (really? On vacation during such a pivotal marketing month??)
• They also have their own blog, which I have every intention of reading more from soon.
  

Pregnancy Woes (of which I have few)

I remember hearing that having a baby girl will 'steal' your beauty, but I don't remember having this same issue when I was pregnant with Maggie. My skin looks awful! I finally got some redness cover-up stuff that seems to be helping a bit, but until I put it on each day, I can't stand to see myself in a mirror.

I've heard some people talk about acne remedies, but mine never really gets to full-fledged acne. It's red and looks a little bumpy, but no real individual blemishes. For now, I'm just grateful for my green skin cream/base I put on after my moisturizer each day, and I really hope it goes away after I give birth :)

Yay - A Zombie Quiz!

How likely would I be to survive a zombie attack? Not very likely, apparently, but the quiz was fun! And May is supposed to be Zombie month :D

You are 21% likely to survive

 

You have an inkling of what Z-Day might hold, but overall you are going to be Zombie chow. Remember, Z-Day won't be what Romero and Synder portray it to be.

Real Zombie Survival Quiz
Take More Quizzes

Damn You, Magic Eight Ball!

I asked the magic eight ball (as I was packing it in a box) if we'd ever be done packing and moving. It said, "Doubtful."
I think it may have been right.

We're getting people looking at our old house who are interested in renting. We've said it's available June 1. Some folks have filled out applications (even though they made NO money in 2010, or want to pay us half as much rent as we're asking), and they've specified that their 'offer' to rent is contingent on us getting things like our boat out of the back yard, or our echo leaf blower out of what they already are trying to consider 'their' shed. Hold your horses, folks!

While we certainly do plan to clear all of our stuff out of the old house before someone else moves in, we've got almost two full weeks left before it's available. We will get it all out - the magic eight ball doesn't actually know anything!

Thursday Thunks

The real deal...from Thursday Thunks

1. Do you know how to french braid? I understand in theory. But I've never actually done it.

2. Two guys are walking down the street. One drops his hat and reaches down to pick it up, the other kicks him in the ass. Do you laugh? Probably. :D

3. You wake up one morning and dogs are meowing and cats are meowing - what are fish, elephants and crocodiles doing? Meowing, of course.

4. You are going to your high school reunion. What award are you going to win? None. I'll be hiding in the back since I was never sure I should go in the first place.

5. You find yourself stranded on a deserted island. Soon you find a laptop with a lifelong battery & internet connection, then you find a cave with an endless supply of food and a spring of fresh water. A cruise ship comes along to save you - do you get on it? Since it's a cruise ship, maybe.

6. How many shortcuts do you have on your desktop? A lot.

7. I offer you a pie... the most delicious pie you have ever seen. You either have to eat the entire thing in one sitting or allow me to slam it into your face, which do you choose? Lately, I'd probably eat it.

8. Are you a pen stealer? Nah. I usually like the pen I already have better.

9. A dude from China comes up and offers you german chocolate cake, french fries and a boston cream pie... what color is your car? Red.

10. Sometimes you just have to tap your foot to your favorite song - which tv series season finale are you watching? None of em.

Have a great day. Or not. See you next Thursday.

Huh?

Unpacking is so much more of an adventure than packing. For packing, I was just throwing things in boxes as quickly as possible. Now that I'm unpacking, I'm finding some real surprises! How did I ever get this stuff in the first place? Hubby's drawer in the bathroom had probably close to ten different cologne samples, and I didn't get him any of them. What's up with that?

The bathroom has really turned out to be the most fun box so far. Our pantry apparently contained everything from hair removals, to different essential oils (that I no longer remember what they may be for) to back acne treatments. Why didn't I notice more of this craziness when I was packing? My advice to anyone moving is to start packing sooner, so you can take the time to pitch the randomness before you carry it across town (or even further).

No Problem, Cupcake!

When I went looking for a quick quiz to post this evening, the first thing up was pictures of yummy desserts. Given that one of my most recent cravings was delicious little (okay, not so little) cupcakes from a bakery near our old house, I had to go with the cupcake...

You Are Flamboyant

You've been known to be audacious. You are totally daring and completely unashamed of failure. You need to be with someone who worships you. You like to be put on a pedestal. You don't hold grudges - getting over little fights is no problem for you. You definitely turn heads every place that you go. You have an enviable style and grace.

The Petit Dessert Test

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Strollers

As if the new house wasn't enough excitement, I'm still getting more pregnant every day too! Tomorrow is the 'big' ultrasound, where they'll check the anatomy, do the fetal echocardiogram, and hopefully be able to confidently discern the gender!

A couple weeks ago we went looking at new strollers, since Maggie is now asking to ride in the stroller when we go to the mall or anything. Our old one works, but if we're signing on for a few more years, I'd rather have a better one. I think hubby is picturing something like the baby jogger city select, but I'd be happy with a nicer umbrella stroller (we have the $20 version now).

What's your favorite feature in a baby stroller? Besides wanting it to roll and corner smoothly, we both really want it to be a bit taller. Right now it's killing me to have to bend over and push it, frequently while still carrying my purse or whatever else, since there's nowhere to stash stuff. Easy folding/opening is also mandatory. Do you love your stroller? What is it?

Wordless Wednesday

Back to Business?

I've finally been getting back to work on my chocolate biz again! And it's paying off in a hurry :D Both days lately that I've buckled down and made some business calls, I've gotten results.

The calls are coming from door prize slips received at the women's expo I worked a couple weeks ago. Some companies try giving out promotional pens or whatever, but we just collected entries for a big basket of Dove Chocolate goodies. Then everyone who had worked at the expo got together and divided up the slips based on where the prospects were located (since everyone wants tasting parties relatively close to their home).

The first day, I made about ten calls, and booked one show the first week in June - yay!! A couple other people were nice about it and asked me to call them later, since either now wasn't a good time to talk on the phone, or they just couldn't commit to booking a show yet.

Today I booked another show, just three days following the show booked the other day! Yay! Now I'm headed back to the post office tomorrow to send off their custom envelopes with everything they'll need to get started on a successful show :)

The best thing I've learned lately? While personalized pencils from your company are nice, they aren't going to get you business on their own. The woman who booked a show today actually asked me toward the end of the call to clarify which company I was with. It turns out she'd offered to book a show with a couple companies, and I was the first one to call - kinda sad, since it's already been two weeks since the expo and the move put me later than I'd have liked to call!

Wheels are Turning...

Tonight we got to make yet another trip to the old house. It turns out that since listing our house for rent on Sunday, there have already been like EIGHT showings! And one application (that we would be insane to accept, but hey, it's an application, right?). Our realtor is optimistic about the showing scheduled for tomorrow, so we'll see!

We went out tonight so hubby could get more stuff out of the garage, and I peeled the wallpaper border down from Maggie's old room. We don't intend to re-decorate any of the rooms before renting the house out, but Maggie had torn down a big chunk of the wallpaper so we took the rest down so now it's just painted and has a chair rail (I think that's what it's called - the moulding around the middle of the room?).

Weird discovery of the day - I'm the only person I know who doesn't hate taking down wallpaper. All the picking and peeling is sort of therapeutic or something. Don't get me wrong: I'll never voluntarily wallpaper anything, since I'd never really enjoy taking it down again later, but I don't think I hate it as much as most people. Go figure!

Two and a Half Men - A Guest Post

Thanks to Erich Emerson

Now that I have more free time on my hands, I've started watching Two and a Half Men on CBS via direct.tv. I first heard of the show because of the latest Charlie Sheen scandal where I was amazed to see he still had a TV show. Living overseas for a few years definitely takes you out of the loop of American pop culture. Anyway, I decided to check it out after learning it was a highly regarded show that had even won some Primetime Emmy Awards. It has quickly become one of my favorite shows to watch -- I especially enjoy all the little sound ditties.

As with all Sheen characters, Charlie Harper is a womanizing bachelor with a semi-successful career. Sound familiar? Jon Cryer plays Sheen's uptight brother Alan who has a son named Jake, played by Angus T. Jones. Alan and his son move into his brother's Malibu beach house after getting divorced from his wife Judith, played by Marin Hinkle. Other regular characters include Charlie and Alan's mother, Evelyn Harper, played by Holland Taylor and Charlie's housekeeper Berta, played by Conchata Ferrell.

They are mostly one-dimensional characters, but that works well in a sitcom as long as the writers can find clever ways to deliver that dimension without overusing it. That balance is clearly met on Two and a Half Men.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

These blasted allergies can quit anytime now. Really.

At least I still have an artichoke in the fridge. I love boiling it and then having the super-yummy meat dipped in butter. Really, really love.

Anyone else playing Zombie Lane on Facebook? Let me know - I need more neighbors :)

There are sure enough less and less boxes left in the house every day. I just wish I felt better to get it all done faster. It's satisfying each time I cut the tape on the bottom of another box and flatten it to put in the garage. Only slightly less satisfying when I can hardly fit past the gigantic pile of boxes to get to my car ;)

Maggie is loving Trosclair and the Alligator. They've read it a few times on Between the Lions, so when I saw it at the library yesterday I grabbed it for her. She made me read it twice yesterday, then her daddy read it once, then she asked for it at bedtime and he asked her to pick another book. She also will make me pretend to be Gargantua and talk with an accent (cuz Gargantua be a bayou alligator, dontcha know?).

Our trash pick-up was rejected yesterday because the can was too big. Never mind the fact that they'll actually take twelve of those cans at a time. They left the one we did put out. :(
Task last night - new garbage can. Status - accomplished.

Cars and Houses

There's so much in common between buying a house and buying a car, but it doesn't usually occur to me, since buying a house is such an infrequent event.

When you buy a car, of course you look at the manufacturers' Auto Warranty, and consider if that's enough or if you'll want the Extended Warranty. For someone like my husband (who likes to and is good at working on cars), the decision isn't one that he gives much thought. But when I was single, this was sometimes a hard call.

I worked hard for my money and didn't want to spend it on a Car Warranty I may not need. On the other hand, if I was ever without my car, it was bye-bye income, so I had to consider if it was worth investing in the piece of mind I'd get from knowing any car repairs would be promptly taken care of without additional expense to me.

It turns out a house purchase can provide some similar benefits with an extended home warranty. That's been our first comforting thought when we realized the other day our air conditioning isn't working. Of course, this is Michigan and the temperature has now dropped by 45 degrees in just a few days again. Maybe we won't need the air? Ahhh...but when we do, if the fix isn't obvious, the warranty will help us out!

What's Your Mothering Personality?

Thanks for pointing this out, Adventures of Grunty and Chubbs and Rambling Unsettled Vagabond.

I'm a "Give 'Em Their Space" Mother! (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving) Non-intrusive and respectful of differences, I give my children the personal space they need to develop as separate, self-sufficient individuals. What's your mothering personality type? Take the MotherStyles quiz at FamilyEducation.com!

Settling In...

Yeah, there will probably be a few posts with similar titles to this one ;)

Today I spent a lot of time trying to get the unpacking a lot closer to finished, while still starting some work back up on my side jobs. So far, so good!

The kitchen is getting pretty close to functional. The biggest thing we need is a rack to hang the pots/pans from. Apparently this nearly has to be ordered online! We found one at a store, but it was almost $100 more than the ones we saw over the internet - guess we can wait a few more days for that price.

My desk is also starting to shape up a bit. I'm still waiting til we have a chance to put shelves in the closet to unpack a lot of my paperwork, but I dug out my scheduling and tasks binders, and set up my printer. Without all the clutter, there's even room for a small receipt printer if I decide I need one. In the meantime I'm just enjoying a bit of elbow room while I work.

Maggie's New Fun

I forgot for several days to tell hubby Maggie's newest phrase that's...well...close to what she's trying to say.

I think I already mentioned that we got the neighbor's old play structure. I was lucky enough to talk our volunteer movers into moving it to the other corner of our yard. The first day, we saw a couple bunnies eating some of the grass around it, and Maggie and I were loving the view!

Today she came running up the stairs to my office all excited. She said she saw a bird with a blue head right by her 'play destruction.' I was able to keep a straight face (well, except for the excitement about the bird!) and even got her to repeat it for hubby when we were out tonight.

I love the stuff she comes up with!

Planning for Gifts

With this month being centered around the big move, we've talked a lot about things we need for the house, and how we may get them for each other 'disguised' as custom birthday gifts for men, or for me, or even for Maggie. Maggie's room, for example, will get new furniture for her birthday (with her old crib and nursery furniture moving to the nursery for the new addition).

I'd like to find something cool to get hubby for his birthday next month, but two things are stopping me. First, I seldom have enough money handy for the really cool stuff he wants. He usually wants something pretty specific and it's easier for him to just get it himself. Secondly, I'm seeing how much stuff we each have through trying to pack it, move it, and now unpack it! I don't think I want to celebrate any gift-giving holiday with anything traditional for a while!

10 Random Things for Friday

1. Moving sucks. (Even if you love your new house.)
2. I think a chocolate show that was being mailed to me has finally showed up. FedEx called and needs a physical address....I thought someone was sending it Priority Mail (aka USPS) so I gave them my PO Box address.
3. Is my oven supposed to smell like gas every time I use it? Yuck.
4. Next week we're supposed to find out the gender of the new little one. I'm pretty excited.
5. I'm so grateful for my jobs that I fit around raising Maggie, but it's really hard to not let anything slip while moving too.
   
6. What is it about teal-y blue and direct sales? Both PartyLite and Dove have used it as part of their logo stuff. Don't get me wrong - it's quite convenient so my old stuff still fits in, but is there some reason? Maybe I'm just lucky again.
7. Tonight is karate - yay! Maggie has so much fun in her tiny tigers' class. And it puts us on that side of town coming straight home, so I think I can finally pack up the last of the condiments from the fridge and bring them to the new house tonight. Yeah, I'm multitasking even on the fun stuff I should just relax and look forward to.
8. The view is quite awesome out my office window.
9. My friend just got me the best zombie book ever. It's the perfect gift and I really needed a pick-me-up in the middle of all this stress! I can't even find it on Amazon to show you, but it turns out there are a lot of other zombie books too....hmmm....
10. Ocean nibbles are ready - gotta go!
    

Work to be Done

Hope you're not tired of hearing about the new house yet! Luckily our list of things to be done in the immediate future doesn't involve any major construction jobs. Besides just unpacking all the boxes, there are several shelves/pictures/decorations to be hung. We also need to go purchase our new king-sized mattress (that we fortunately got as a house-warming gift). Hubby also wants to touch up the refinish he did on the floor last week.

On the outside of the house, we need some mulch for around the flowers and things that are already planted. Hubby said they announced at the home owner's association meeting last week that the association will be providing flowers for around the little ornamental trees closest to the street, and they'll also be replacing our mailbox/post (which looks like it's been hit by a car or something).

Overall, everything is getting pretty livable within the next few days, I'd estimate, but the other stuff will make it even nicer.

Hello?

Sorry there's sort of been an echo around here. We moved all the major stuff to the new house on Saturday, but the modem just didn't work, so no internet until last night - yikes!

I know - you're wondering still what took me so long since we've had internet for like 12 hours...There are still lots of boxes to unpack, and I'm majorly behind on my second job (since it exclusively uses the internet). So last night was a work night around here (with periodic breaks to catch up on everything else I missed, of course).

So far the new house is fabulous. My legs quit aching constantly (from all the stairs) after the first couple of days (but they will look GREAT this summer! hahahaha). The biggest thing is we will have so much more room! I'm working on making the kitchen usable first (getting close) and hubby got a ton done in the family room last night. I think I'll bring most of the rest of Maggie's toys from the old house today, along with the contents of the freezer and maybe fridge (if it fits in our cooler). Can't wait to get the boxes gone and show it all off!

And Then She Slept

I'm hoping by getting some of the stuff racing around my head down on paper (or computer, as the case may be...), I'll be able to pull the covers up tight and catch up on some sleep I've been missing before the major packing and moving starts tomorrow!

I've taken a few breakables out to the house, including a couple of my retired PartyLite pieces without boxes and some large framed pictures. A couple of the candle holders may end up on or near the fireplace mantel, but for now they're all lined up neatly in the living room (for which we actually have no furniture yet!). For in front of the fireplace, I just got an awesome screen that holds candles. It caught my eye when I first saw it, and then I got it for 65% off by having a candle show last month. I love a discount!

The Name Game

In honor of Mother's Day, Yahoo! has again posted an article with the most popular baby names. I'm happy to see that my top picks so far for our baby due this year are not on the list. It's not that they're bad names, or that I want something terribly unique, but just that I don't want something super popular. Yeah, I know I sound like a fickle pregnant woman. Hahahahaa....

Here's the list in brief:

Top 10 Names for Boys

1. Jacob
2. Ethan
3. Michael
4. Jayden
5. William
6. Alexander
7. Noah
8. Daniel
9. Aiden
10. Anthony


Top 10 Names for Girls

1. Isabella
2. Sophia
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Chloe
10. Mia

Because I Needed More To Do!!

I think I totally overlooked recapping the event I did last weekend. I participated along with some other chocolatiers in the International Women's Show at Novi, Michigan. The event was definitely busy! It was a four-day show, but I just worked on Saturday and Sunday. We had an awesome Pop up display, luckily with chairs that went behind the high counter as well. Two five-hour days on my feet would have done me in!

We collected lots of lead slips to give away a huge basket with more than $200 in Dove products. Since I'd spoken with the woman who filled out the winning slip, I'm responsible for delivering her basket, but she isn't returning my calls! Wow! It amazes me how many people give out their information hoping to win, but then won't take calls from strangers. Really?? And she didn't even provide an email address, so I can't spell it out much more clearly for her!
What can you do, eh?

I'm hoping next week won't be too late to follow-up with a lot of leads. I've tried a few for people who said they wanted to book shows, because I still would like to book a show or two for May, but haven't had luck so far. Next week I can snuggle in at my new desk and call til I get the job done!

A Nice Respite

In the midst of all things moving, we were able to hang out with an old friend of hubby's tonight. It's a guy he grew up with, and they'd fallen out of touch years ago over ex-wife issues. Now that both guys are remarried to the right women, they were able to finally reconnect ;)

The friend and his wife happened to be in our area for another event this week, and contacted hubby about getting together for dinner. Luckily they only live a few hours away, so now that we know we all get along, I'm sure we'll make the effort to get together again. They didn't have their kids with them this time, but Maggie was very well behaved (despite needing to go pee EIGHT times during dinner).

I was worried at first about trying to squeeze another engagement into our crazy/busy week, but now I'm glad we did. It was nice to just hang out and talk about the good things in our lives for an hour or so.

Falling Into Place

I always say things will work out, and they always do! Today I talked to our new next-door neighbor and she said her kids (now teenagers) have outgrown their play structure and we can have it - otherwise they'll be taking it apart and throwing it away. Sign us up! It needs to be stained, but that's a lot easier than spending a small fortune on a new one.

I was also admiring their propane fire pit. They may be good friends to have ;) Hubby also said he found a mini-picnic table in the attic above the garage. Since he didn't have the ladder handy, we're not sure if it's in decent shape or not yet, but I figure they wouldn't have gone to the trouble to put it up there if it wasn't still usable. Here's hoping!

Who Knew?

So I figured it would be good to find out all about the secrets of my new house, so I took a quiz to find out 'what' my house is ruled by. Yeah, I don't really get the question either, but here's the answer!:

Your House is Ruled by Venus

You love to have fun, and in your view, the more the merrier. You enjoy festive parties. You have trouble turning down good food and drink. Life is for the living, and you're going to celebrate. You are a total flirt. You are naturally playful and a bit of a tease. You are easily talked into doing silly things. You just love to have fun!

What is Your House Ruled By?

Blogthings: Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

Necessary Change?

I've seen quite a few episodes of Intervention (really loved that show when I wasn't so busy pre-Maggie), but never one with xanax detox. I can almost imagine an intervention would be required to prompt coming off that much xanax. Because really - if you're that souped up and totally relaxed, why would you be able to fathom wanting to change that condition? Hmm.....

I remember talking to a counselor once who said alcohol is the hardest addiction she sees to break. Withdrawals notwithstanding, alcohol consumption is completely socially acceptable. When someone passes on a drink, half the crowd will say, "Aw, c'mon. You deserve a break - have a drink!" There's commercials on tv and the radio, and the ads in the store are not hidden from anyone. For someone to stop drinking, they have to go against the grain and really decide to continually say no to alcohol.

To-Do List for May 5, 2011

• Bathe Maggie
• Eat artichoke from fridge :)
  
• Finish laundry in progress (fold from dryer, then dry and fold from washer...)
• Pack up Maggie's bathroom
• Put clothes on hangers in trunk
• Pack up majority of non-refrigerated food
• Shower myself (including dry hair and make-up)
• Pack blow dryer (for hubby to use on floors in new house)
  
• Eat lunch and feed Maggie
  
• Drive to new house and unpack car
• Dinner with friends :)

This is one of those really odd cases where the plan sounds better in writing than it did in my head!

Here Goes Nuthin!

I try not to think about all the things I don't know. Especially when looking for, and then purchasing, a new house... Does it matter to me if there's teflon hose or some other sort? Am I really picky beyond appearance about what's on the outside of the house? Should I be?

While I'm trying not to think about it (and doing a pretty good job, honestly), I'm glad we got the home inspection. I'm a firm believer that a person should use the skills and abilities they have, and barter or pay for the help of people with the skills they otherwise need. If you abhor cleaning your yard but can do a heck of a job changing the oil in someone's car - trade! If a talented amateur chef admires your craftiness and wants to cook for you while they craft for them - great deal for you both!

What would you most like to cross of your to-do list that someone else could do for you? What do you think you're good enough at to earn something in exchange? Or do you already do this regularly?

Thursday Thunks

Check out Thursday Thunks for some thought-provoking questions each week!

1. Name 5 famous people that you wouldn't be you without them. Huh. This is the toughest one of the bunch for me. I've admired different people over time, and I suppose a lot of them have contributed a bit here and there to who I am or how I act/look. But I can't really think of five specific famous people to credit for it.

2. So yeah, did you hear Osama is dead? If you could take any letter out of the alphabet and have it never ever used again, which letter would it be? None of em! I love words, and therefore have to love letters!

3. If you were to swallow a guitar pick, would you tell anyone? Probably. I'm always down for a good story.

4. My tummy hurts. Do you know anyone that eats strange things like toilet paper, chalk or some other off the wall thing that shouldn't be eaten? Not personally...

5. Whats your favorite kind of noodle? I'd have to say macaroni, by association. Maggie always orders macaroni and cheese (even when places make it with a noodle other than macaroni - just sayin!).

6. So yeah, back to this Osama stuff. When someone says "the event that everyone will remember where they were when they heard the news", what event do you think of? September 11. Duh.

7. Someone last week mentioned that I don't have to have exactly 10 questions, so should I stop here? That would be fine...

8. Name 5 not-famous people that you wouldn't be you without them. Just five? My mom, my dad, my brother, my best friend from high school, my husband (current, just so there's no confusion), and Maggie...uh-oh, that's already six!

A Few More Weeks...

The biggest question we're getting so far about the pregnancy and the new baby (besides just the due date, of course) is whether we're having a boy or a girl, and then that's quickly followed by the name. I guess they're in a hurry to get a personalized baby item?

And the answer to the first part will be found out in a few weeks. Because of all my heart stuff last year, we're having a fetal echocardiogram to take a super close look at the babe's heart. That can't be done until 22 weeks gestation. We're almost there - it'll be toward late May. We could technically have had an anatomy ultrasound and found the gender a few weeks ago, but I didn't want to deal with a whole additional appointment just to satisfy curiosity. :)

...Curious as a Cat

Thanks to Rambling Unsettled Vagabond for pointing out this fun meme!

To join in, visit ...Curious as a Cat

1) When the power goes out, do you grab matches and candles or a flashlight first? A flashlight, so I can use it to look for the candles and matches if the power will be out for a while.

2) If you could personify and speak to your deepest, darkest fear, what would you say? Nothing. I don't want to spend any time with it.

3) You're gathering signatures for a petition - what's your cause? Mothers'/babies' right to options. My soapbox is always natural birth or breastfeeding. I feel there are still women being railroaded into a birth that's more convenient for hospitals and doctors, instead of celebrating birth as a natural process bringing new life. I'm sure I could say that all better if I was taking more time, but it's busy around here. ;)

4) Show and Tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

Well, my first thought is those rooms full of cots at like Girl Scout camp or whatever, but then when you can see it's..what? Cake?...I figure it must be a psychiatrist's convention or something, celebrating the couch. Yeah. That's what.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Aren't I so sneaky? I'm posting my Random Tuesday Thoughts before I even go to bed on Monday. Go, me?

I really enjoy spending time at the new house even without any stuff. You'd think this would motivate me to get packed quicker....when I wake up I'm determined to pack lots of boxes!!

I feel like I'm forgetting something lately. I think in part it's preggo brain and I am forgetting things. I think in other part I'm so darn busy I'm going crazy just trying to keep it all straight! Luckily I sort of thrive on busy-ness, so it seems to be working out for me so far. As far as I remember, that is...

And I'm getting hungry again. I hate that. I'll now wait another minute to see if it passes, or I'll have to go snack now, in the middle of the night...again. Hopefully it'll pass. I was just finally able to clock out of work and I just might be too tired to chew :(

I hope my hair grows long enough for a ponytail soon. Hubby doesn't like it short, and right now it's too long to have the easy maintenance of short, and too short to be pulled out of the way quickly and easily. C'mon hair, GROW!!
(but not on my legs, cuz shaving is such a pain....)